Agricultural News

Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas Talked Farm Bill Implementation, Trade and More at His Town Hall Stop in Guthrie

Thu, 25 Apr 2019 06:04:04 CDT

Oklahoma Third District Congressman Frank Lucas easily has the most geography of anyone in the Oklahoma House delegation- with roughly forty nine percent of the state in his Third Congressional District. That means his efforts to make it to every county every year for a Town Hall meeting is a challenge. During the current Easter holiday recess, the Congressman visited with folks in ten counties in northwest and north central Oklahoma- and Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays caught him at his tenth and final stop for the current work period- in Guthrie for his Logan County Town Hall Meeting.

Congressman Lucas and Hays talked before he went in and interacted with those gathered at the Guthrie Train Depot. You can hear their conversation by clicking on the LISTEN BAR below.

While no longer on the House Ag Committee- Lucas remains very interested in the Farm Bill Implementation process- talking Industrial Hemp Rules, FMD Vaccine Bank and more. On the Hemp language in the 2018 Farm Bill, Congressman Lucas says it will be a while before the Federal Rules are completed by USDA that were called for in the Farm Law that was signed by President Trump just before Christmas. He expects those rules to be in place in time for the 2020 growing season. The same is true for Title One provisions, including the changes that the 2018 law makes to the PLC and ARC safety net programs. He praised the work that was done that will allow farmers to be able to choose PLC or ARC annually for their safety net- once the rules are written and in place. Lucas did offer praise for USDA's efforts to date in working to implement the 2018 Farm Law- but says it takes time once the bill has passed the House and Senate and Signed by the President for implementation to be completed.

Congressman Lucas also talked trade, both with Hays in their conversation as well as with his constituents in the Guthrie meeting. At the top of the trae discussion- the battle over getting USMCA to the floor for a vote in the House. Lucas says if Speaker Nancy Pelosi will allow a vote- he thinks it gets ratified in the House later this year. He is hopeful that some of his colleagues across the aisle in the House can persaude the Speaker to move USMCA to a vote, as it is a vitally important agreement when it comes to US and Oklahoma Agriculture.